Environment

NMED Acts To Hold DOE Accountable For Legacy Waste

by

NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department issued several actions today to hold the U.S. Department of Energy accountable for failing to prioritize the cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s “legacy waste” for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

The continued presence of a large volume of unremedied hazardous and radioactive waste demonstrates a longstanding lack of urgency by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and elevates the risk of waste storage failures at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

The term “legacy waste” describes mixed waste that dates Read More

Santa Fe National Forest Plans Blanco Prescribed Fire

by

Courtesy/SFNF

SFNF News:

ESPAÑOLA — The Santa Fe National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations in the Española Ranger District as early as Feb. 18, 2026, pending all required approvals. The Blanco prescribed fire is a 718-acre broadcast burn located off Forest Road 144 west of Clara Peak and north of Santa Clara Pueblo. Fire managers will look for opportunities to implement this burn from February 18 to March 15, as weather conditions allow. A broadcast burn is when fire is applied across a defined area or boundary to reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure Read More

Increase In Daytime Bobcat Sightings In Los Alamos: What You Need To Know…

by

A bobcat roots through a resident’s shed in February in Eastern Area. Photo by Jim Goforth

A bobcat hunts around the grounds at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in February. Photo by Amanda Bucklin

A bobcat spruces up in February in downtown Los Alamos. Photo by  Kurt Steinhaus

COUNTY News:

Bobcats are found throughout Los Alamos County and have been spotted regularly in the downtown area in the past few weeks. Although elusive and difficult to observe, it is not unusual for the bobcat’s habitat to include a densely populated urban area.

These cats are much smaller than a mountain lion, weighing Read More

State Senate Shoots Down Bill Codifying Emissions Goals In New Mexico

by

Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, sponsor of the Clear Horizons Act, which would codify emission reduction targets, defends the bill during a debate on the state Senate floor Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Nathan Burton/The New Mexican

By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A contentious proposal to put New Mexico’s pollution reduction goals into state statute went up in smoke Wednesday.

The New Mexico Senate on Wednesday rejected Senate Bill 18, known as the Clear Horizons Act, on a 19-23 vote. Seven Democrats joined all their Republican colleagues in voting against Read More

Luján, Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Develop, Demonstrate, And Deploy Technologies To Accelerate Nuclear Waste Cleanup

by

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) introduced the Combining Laboratory Expertise to Accelerate Novel Solutions for Minimizing Accumulated Radioactive Toxins (CLEAN SMART) Act.

This legislation would build on the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) to accelerate nuclear waste cleanup.

The CLEAN SMART Act would codify and properly fund NNLEMS to leverage the best available science and technology of the nation’s national Read More

Lawmaker: NM In Talks With Some Dozen Data Centers

by

Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces

By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A New Mexico lawmaker pitching a bill to regulate microgrids like one planned in Southern New Mexico to power a massive AI data center said he has learned the state is in talks with up to a dozen other data centers. 

Democratic Sen. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces, the co-sponsor of Senate Bill 235, which is largely a response to Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, said he learned of the scope of New Mexico’s data center recruitment plans during a recent conversation with the state’s economic development secretary. Read More

Op-Ed: Protecting Northern New Mexico’s Land, Water, And Communities From Wildfire

by

By Sen. Bobby Gonzales, D-Los Alamos
New Mexico District 6

In northern New Mexico, wildfire is not an abstract threat—it is something we have lived through, endured, and are still recovering from.

Communities across Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax counties know this all too well. The Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres, displaced families, damaged acequias, destroyed grazing lands, and forever altered watersheds that our villages and pueblos rely on. The scars remain visible today—not just on the land, but in the lives of the people who depend on it.

Our Read More

New Mexico Wild Releases Comprehensive River Guide As State’s Waters Face Unprecedented Threats

by

NMWILD News:

ALBUQUERQUE — As New Mexico’s rivers were named America’s “Most Endangered” in 2024, New Mexico Wild today released Wild Waters: Passport to New Mexico’s Rivers, a comprehensive guide to 42 of the state’s most spectacular river segments.

The 262-page guide arrives at a critical moment: only one-tenth of one percent of New Mexico’s 108,000 miles of rivers enjoy permanent protection.

“For New Mexicans, rivers are inseparable from our history, our culture, and our very identity,” said Mark Allison, Executive Director of New Mexico Wild. “This guide will inspire people to experience Read More